diff --git a/src/media/vorbis.cpp b/src/media/vorbis.cpp
index da331e464..47867d7fc 100644
--- a/src/media/vorbis.cpp
+++ b/src/media/vorbis.cpp
@@ -20,6 +20,19 @@
 
 using namespace srb2::media;
 
+namespace
+{
+
+void runtime_assert(VorbisError error, const char *what)
+{
+	if (error != 0)
+	{
+		throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("{}: {}", what, error));
+	}
+}
+
+}; // namespace
+
 VorbisEncoder::VorbisEncoder(Config cfg)
 {
 	const long max_bitrate = options_.get<int>("max_bitrate");
@@ -58,8 +71,8 @@ VorbisEncoder::VorbisEncoder(Config cfg)
 		}
 	}
 
-	SRB2_ASSERT(vorbis_analysis_init(&vd_, &vi_) == 0);
-	SRB2_ASSERT(vorbis_block_init(&vd_, &vb_) == 0);
+	runtime_assert(vorbis_analysis_init(&vd_, &vi_), "vorbis_analysis_init");
+	runtime_assert(vorbis_block_init(&vd_, &vb_), "vorbis_block_init");
 }
 
 VorbisEncoder::~VorbisEncoder()
@@ -104,12 +117,12 @@ void VorbisEncoder::analyse(sample_buffer_t in)
 	}
 
 	// automatically handles end of stream if n = 0
-	SRB2_ASSERT(vorbis_analysis_wrote(&vd_, n) == 0);
+	runtime_assert(vorbis_analysis_wrote(&vd_, n), "vorbis_analysis_wrote");
 
 	while (vorbis_analysis_blockout(&vd_, &vb_) > 0)
 	{
-		SRB2_ASSERT(vorbis_analysis(&vb_, nullptr) == 0);
-		SRB2_ASSERT(vorbis_bitrate_addblock(&vb_) == 0);
+		runtime_assert(vorbis_analysis(&vb_, nullptr), "vorbis_analysis");
+		runtime_assert(vorbis_bitrate_addblock(&vb_), "vorbis_bitrate_addblock");
 
 		ogg_packet op;
 
diff --git a/src/media/vp8.cpp b/src/media/vp8.cpp
index 230721844..7eb88f004 100644
--- a/src/media/vp8.cpp
+++ b/src/media/vp8.cpp
@@ -110,7 +110,10 @@ VP8Encoder::CtxWrapper::~CtxWrapper()
 
 VP8Encoder::ImgWrapper::ImgWrapper(int width, int height)
 {
-	SRB2_ASSERT(vpx_img_alloc(&img_, VPX_IMG_FMT_I420, width, height, YUV420pFrame::kAlignment) != nullptr);
+	if (vpx_img_alloc(&img_, VPX_IMG_FMT_I420, width, height, YUV420pFrame::kAlignment) == nullptr)
+	{
+		throw std::runtime_error("vpx_img_alloc");
+	}
 }
 
 VP8Encoder::ImgWrapper::~ImgWrapper()
diff --git a/src/media/webm_container.cpp b/src/media/webm_container.cpp
index 3d2ffc5b9..ac1e9c1e1 100644
--- a/src/media/webm_container.cpp
+++ b/src/media/webm_container.cpp
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@
 
 #include <cstdint>
 #include <memory>
+#include <stdexcept>
+
+#include <fmt/format.h>
 
 #include "../cxxutil.hpp"
 #include "webm_vorbis.hpp"
@@ -20,7 +23,10 @@ using time_unit_t = MediaEncoder::time_unit_t;
 
 WebmContainer::WebmContainer(const Config cfg) : writer_(cfg.file_name), dtor_cb_(cfg.destructor_callback)
 {
-	SRB2_ASSERT(segment_.Init(&writer_) == true);
+	if (!segment_.Init(&writer_))
+	{
+		throw std::runtime_error("mkvmuxer::Segment::Init");
+	}
 }
 
 WebmContainer::~WebmContainer()
@@ -101,15 +107,22 @@ void WebmContainer::write_frame(
 	bool is_key_frame
 )
 {
-	SRB2_ASSERT(
-		segment_.AddFrame(
+	if (!segment_.AddFrame(
 			reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t*>(buffer.data()),
 			buffer.size_bytes(),
 			trackid,
 			timestamp,
 			is_key_frame
-		) == true
-	);
+		))
+	{
+		throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format(
+			"mkvmuxer::Segment::AddFrame, size={}, track={}, ts={}, key={}",
+			buffer.size_bytes(),
+			trackid,
+			timestamp,
+			is_key_frame
+		));
+	}
 
 	queue_[trackid].data_size += buffer.size_bytes();
 }
diff --git a/src/media/webm_vorbis.hpp b/src/media/webm_vorbis.hpp
index 5e3825ceb..f49e12e77 100644
--- a/src/media/webm_vorbis.hpp
+++ b/src/media/webm_vorbis.hpp
@@ -13,8 +13,11 @@
 #include <chrono>
 #include <cstddef>
 #include <cstdint>
+#include <stdexcept>
 #include <vector>
 
+#include <fmt/format.h>
+
 #include "../cxxutil.hpp"
 #include "vorbis.hpp"
 #include "webm_encoder.hpp"
@@ -32,7 +35,10 @@ public:
 
 		const auto p = make_vorbis_private_data();
 
-		SRB2_ASSERT(track()->SetCodecPrivate(reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t*>(p.data()), p.size()) == true);
+		if (!track()->SetCodecPrivate(reinterpret_cast<const uint8_t*>(p.data()), p.size()))
+		{
+			throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("mkvmuxer::AudioTrack::SetCodecPrivate, size={}", p.size()));
+		}
 	}
 
 	virtual BitRate estimated_bit_rate() const override final
diff --git a/src/media/yuv420p.cpp b/src/media/yuv420p.cpp
index bfc0fd7c5..9fc961378 100644
--- a/src/media/yuv420p.cpp
+++ b/src/media/yuv420p.cpp
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ bool YUV420pFrame::BufferRGBA::resize(int width, int height)
 	void* p = vec_.data();
 	std::size_t n = vec_.size();
 
-	SRB2_ASSERT(std::align(kAlignment, 1, p, n) != nullptr);
+	p = std::align(kAlignment, 1, p, n);
+	SRB2_ASSERT(p != nullptr);
 
 	plane = tcb::span<uint8_t>(reinterpret_cast<uint8_t*>(p), new_size);